1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle body structure capable of absorbing collision energy when a vehicle collides head-on.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a vehicle body structure that absorbs collision energy when a vehicle collides head-on, a vehicle body structure has conventionally been known in which load absorbing means formed of a honeycomb member or the like are fixed to a fender protector by welding or mechanical fastening in such a manner that the load absorbing means are disposed on the front and rear sides of the front wheel, respectively (refer to Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-45352). In the vehicle body structure, the load absorbing means on the rear side of the front wheel is arranged opposedly to a front end of a side sill. It is to be noted that in a conventional vehicle body structure, a side sill is connected to an outrigger at a front end side thereof and extends rearward of the vehicle body.
In the above vehicle body structure, when a vehicle undergoes an offset collision, the collision load deforms in order of a front bumper, a front part of a fender protector, the load absorbing means disposed on the front side of the front wheel, the front wheel, the load absorbing means disposed on the rear side of the front wheel, and a rear part of the fender protector, and reaches the front end of the side sill. Since the load absorbing means are provided on the front and rear sides of the front wheel respectively in the vehicle body structure, the collision load transmitted from the front bumper to the side sill is reduced in the vehicle body structure compared with vehicle body structures that do not include the load absorbing means.
In a conventional vehicle body structure (refer to Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-45352, for example), however, when a vehicle crashes in a high speed, the load absorbing means (honeycomb member or the like) may not fully absorb the collision load applied from a front bumper, so that a front wheel that has received the collision load may move backward. The front wheel that has been moved backward may deform a side sill as well as a floor panel that is located inside (vehicle inner side) of the side sill. In order to prevent the front wheel from moving backward, the side sill may be reinforced. However, if the side sill is reinforced, the weight of the vehicle body structure is disadvantageously increased.